


The Hot Girl

by Sharonfofaron



Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-26
Updated: 2019-03-19
Packaged: 2019-05-28 23:54:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 13,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15060551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sharonfofaron/pseuds/Sharonfofaron
Summary: You're one of the best support systems in the treasure-hunting business; wherever your friends and clients are, whatever they need, you're there to supply it, no questions asked and with plenty of friendliness to boot. One of your favorite people, Sully, needs help with something a bit unconventional...and you'll meet a couple attractive Drakes along the way! But can you let yourself be the one supported this time, or will you keep trying to be a lone wolf?





	1. Chapter 1

Sam and Sully were sitting at the table in Italy in their elegant dark-wood hotel room, having successfully stolen the St. Dismas cross and still wearing their formal-wear sans the jackets. Nathan was at the little side-bar, pouring himself a celebratory drink, and Sully lifted the hand that wasn't holding his cigar. "Hey kid, bring the whole bottle over. Don't hold out on us," he laughed, in good spirits from their heist, and Nathan laughed back, turning around with the bottle and a full glass and two more empty ones. "Wouldn't dream of it, Sully," he said as he sat down with a little groan. He and Sam were a little banged up, and had basically had nothing but ibuprofen for dinner. Sully, however, was fresh as a daisy, having done nothing but outbid Rafe and get the car--a fact that had not been lost on Sam. 

"You're not too sore, are you, Victor? Oh wait--" he snapped his fingers "you didn't really do anything." 

"Hey now," Sully said, leaning forward, "you wouldn't get away without me--"

"I" he dragged out the 'I' tauntingly "think we could've--"

"Hey guys, knock it off," Nate said, finding himself in the strange position of being the strict one. Sam and Victor were...weird about him. It was like they both wanted to be his father, and got jealous whenever the other one even remotely was. He didn't mind the attention--he actually sort of liked it--but he did know that they needed to get along if this was going to go off well. "So what's our next move? If I remember correctly, Rafe had installed security gates and checkpoints all over the Scottish landscape--so we're gonna need a keycard or something that he's probably got." 

"Shit, you're right," Sully grumbled, successfully distracted. "He's probably got it with him here, though. He should still be in Italy for a couple days; there's another auction happening in two nights' time, a huge one, and he won't want to miss it. It's got some of Avery's stuff. Don't worry--" he raised a hand to cut off Sam's concern "I've got a contact on the inside who's confirmed it's a sham. The Avery connection was just a rumor, and Rafe won't find out THAT little gem until he's AT the auction. So for now-" he leaned back smugly "he's still here." 

"Great! So, we break into his room and steal the keycard!" Nate said cheerily, straightening a little and taking a sip of his drink. Sam was still leaning over the table and over his own whiskey, but did look more relaxed. 

Sully nodded. "Shouldn't be too hard to figure out which fancy-ass hotel he's stayin' at, and with these duds we'll be able to get in." he gestured at his tuxedo suit. Nate made a pleased little sound and eased back in his chair. Sam's eyes flicked up to Sully, and he reached for his drink, holding it up lazily to watch the liquid. "Something on your mind, dear?" he asked caustically, his low Boston accent coming out as deep and smooth as the drink he held. 

Sully squinted a little and smoked his cigar. "I'd feel better if we had some backup. A guaranteed distraction." He leaned forward over the table, hunching like Sam was, and let out a sad groaning sigh. Nate looked at him, a little concerned. Sully looked upset. 

"Hey, what's the matter?" he asked the old man, touching his arm for a second worriedly. 

Sully's cigar hesitated near his lips, then went down to the table. He shook his head slowly. "I know exactly who to get for it--but this is gonna make me feel like a real asshole." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You stepped off the plane one day later, having gotten Sully's text around midnight and taken a red-eye. Luckily, you'd been in Sweden, so it wasn't too much of a journey. All you had with you was your normal travel backpack, since Sully had said it was a very short consultation job; you mainly worked in support, getting treasure hunters guns, food, medicine, transport, et cetera even when they were in the middle of nowhere. You had a knack for negotiations, and so you were good at it, particularly when the jobs were on the fly like this one. You DID think it was a little odd that Sully requested you bring a mix of nice clothes and exercise clothes, though. If it was a consultation job, then it should be your expertise regarding LINGUISTICS that he wanted. But, Sully was one of your favorite people, and so no matter how strange the request, you did it. Besides, he wasn't great at texting, anyway; he probably had just said something incorrectly. He'd probably just meant that Italy was nice, and you should try to mix it up and do a few different activities while you were here. He was always telling you to relax, to have some fun...

It didn't take long to find their understated, but nice hotel, and the beautiful weather (combined with the prospect of seeing Sully again, since it had been a little while and you really did love the old man) meant that you were feeling particularly chipper. Your high ponytail bounced happily, your sports bra, leggings, and light sweatshirt being all the coverage you needed for a late-night flight and a sunny day. 

You made your way up to their upper-level balcony room, making a mental note to remember this hotel if you were ever back in Italy, and knocked politely. 

The door opened quickly, to reveal a very, very ruggedly handsome man in a formal white shirt and black slacks with a cigarette in his mouth. He saw you, and the cigarette dropped. You caught it quickly--you didn't fight all that often for work, but you were excellent when it was required--just down near his hips, then bent back up to hand it to him. 

"S-sorry," he said, his voice throaty.

You smiled at him, your good mood and his handsomeness making it large and bright, and for a second you thought he was going to drop the cigarette again. 

Then you heard Sully approaching, already greeting you, and the first man stepped back, running his free hand through his hair in an adorably nervous kind of gesture. 

"Y/N!" Sully gave you a big hug, and you returned it with a contented grin "Thanks for coming, I really appreciate it. You know Nathan--" Nate stepped out from further in the room and gave you a hug, too, with a smile and a chipper "Heyy!" Sully continued "--and this is his older brother, Sam."

"You don't have to mention the 'older'," Sam muttered balefully, but Sully ignored him. You looked between the three men, smiling, and put your hands on your waist. "You know I always help my friends, Sully," you said brightly, your ponytail swishing as you turned to him. "So what do you need?" 

Sully stepped further into the room, and you gracefully took your bag off to place it on the floor--only to hear Sam suddenly behind you, taking it, and putting it down for you. "Oh-thank you," you said, throwing him another smile, before turning back to face Sully and the table. There was an old paper on it, and you assumed it was why you were here--

Sully stepped in front of it, sighing. "Y/N, I've...called you here under false pretenses. I'm really sorry, sweetheart," he said genuinely. You looked at him, your face still friendly but questioning--which only made him feel worse. "We need to break into a competitor's hotel room and steal a keycard--and while normally that might be simple, this is an important job and we'd like to have a distraction."

"You can't afford to take chances," you said softly, your face a little more thoughtful now, but still cheerful. He nodded. "Exactly. We--" he gestured to the other two men, who had moved to be standing close to your right "will do the robbery, but we need you to distract the resident." 

"Okay," you said easily, looking between the three of them. They looked...guilty, or sheepish, or something. Embarrassed, maybe? Why?

You didn't have to wonder long. "Y/N, the guy...he's gonna be outside sitting on a bench soon. I've gotten someone at the hotel to tell me he always eats lunch there when he's in town. And it needs to be...or we need you to be..." Sully looked so uncomfortable that you worried there might actually be something wrong with him.

You looked visibly worried now, and Nate stepped in. Sam was hanging back in the corner in some kind of lean against the wall, looking distinctly uncomfortable and like he was trying to make himself small and unobtrusive--which, considering his height and well-muscled build, was impossible. 

"He's gotta be distracted for, like, twenty minutes. Maybe more," Nate said in a rush, and you could see the other two men's shoulders lower as they relaxed. Clearly they hadn't wanted to be the ones to say that for some reason...

You glanced between the three of them, the smile small but still on your face, not understanding the somber atmosphere. Why did they all look like they'd sold you out? 

Then it hit you; Sully's requests about clothing, his obvious discomfort, the length of time--

Your head shifted back a little, just for a second, but it was enough to signify your discomfort. "You guys don't need me for any help with linguistics, do you," you said quietly. You quickly recovered with a small smile--so what if you were supposed to be the honeypot, you'd had to do that before--and stepped closer with a little laugh. "Oh, Sully, is that what you're worried about? Come on, that's not that big a deal," you said it entreatingly, looking at him pityingly while the other two looked on. "Goddamnit, Y/N, I knew you were gonna be a good sport about this. Makes me feel way worse," he grumbled, shoving his cigar in his mouth--but you could tell he was also relieved that you were okay with it. You looked at him sweetly. "I'm always a good sport, Sully. And I always help my friends, no matter what." You said it kindly, but matter-of-factly--and Sully knew from past experience that it was true. You patted him on the arm, then turned to Nate, seeing as he was the second to take point, and nodded your head once toward their balcony. "So is the bench visible from out there?" 

"Yes," Nate said, obviously relieved too. He walked over with you, and you felt Sam slide in behind you quietly. He almost moved like a panther, he was so lithe and quiet--and he carried tension in his body all the time, the POTENTIAL for action always there. It was interesting, you thought to yourself as you went out to the balcony to look down with them. A hand appeared to give you binoculars, and you turned to see it was Sam's. He was giving you a small smile, and you gave him a bigger one as you took it. "Ah-thank you!" 

"Over there," Nate pointed off to the left, a good distance away. There was a small fountain-focused courtyard. "Rafe'll have goons guarding his room, and himself probably, so that's why we're aiming high with the time--"

You froze. "Rafe?"

They looked at you, concerned. "Rafe Adler?" You said, your voice still soft but your face more serious. 

"What, you know him?" Nate asked, and you saw the boys glance at each other. You moved your eyes back slowly to the front, clearly doing some quick thinking. Rafe was a rich boy, sadistic, suspicious. Dangerous. It wouldn't do you any good to be on his radar--and you'd REALLY rather not be. But your friends needed you to. You could handle it. You WOULD handle it. You'd probably take a couple hits, but--

Your resolve showed on your face, and you lifted the binoculars again with a little laugh. "Only by reputation. But it's okay." You looked at the benches with your binoculars for a minute, and along the route to the hotel via the cobblestoned streets, then put them down. "All right, how long do I have?" you asked. Nate looked at his watch before looking into the binoculars himself. "Forty minutes. Unless he gets there early, which he might--shit!" He suddenly pointed to the courtyard. Sam took a turn with the binoculars, and spit out the same curse in a husky murmur. 

"Okay," you said, looking down at the area and planning. You already knew perfectly well what Rafe looked like, and could faintly see him as a speck. Flanked by two bigger specks. "No time." You reached down and started unzipping your sweatshirt, promptly spinning around and heading back into the room. "Sully," you said calmly, but firmly, "comms?"

Sully was already pulling them out of his pocket. Nate and Sam were right on your heels- "I heard," he said, cutting off their news. You were already putting the earpiece in your ear and putting the sweatshirt on a nearby chair. "Looks like it's showtime, kids." 

"Are you guys good?" You asked, shifting the earpiece and nearing the door. "Anything else I should know?" 

"We're good," Sam said. "But Y/N, what are you gonna do?" 

You glanced in the mirror, shifting your sports bra and thanking your lucky stars that you were already wearing sneakers and leggings, before looking back at them. You shrugged blithely. "I guess I'm going for a run," you said brightly before spinning towards the door, your ponytail flying, and heading out with a chipper little "Good luck boys!"


	2. Chapter 2

As you headed down the hotel's stairwell, you spoke into your earpiece. 

"Sully? You copy?"

"All here, Y/N. You good?"

"Yeah. Listen, Rafe is a cagey one, right?"

"Yeah," Sam answered this time.

"So maybe we shouldn't meet again. After you've gotten what you need, just head out; leave my bag in the hallway and I'll return this earpiece to you later, yeah?"

"Good idea," Sam said. It sounded like he and the others were going down some stairs too, probably on the opposite side of the building. 

"Thanks for your help, Y/N. Be careful," Sully said.

"No problem," you answered cheerily, breezing down the staircase and nearing the exit. "See you when I see you." 

You ran out into the sunshine, stopping and taking a moment to stretch, then started running around the building. You figured it would be best to do a bit of a run first, so that you were actually panting when you sat down near Rafe to rest. You sprinted back and forth behind the hotel, feeling a little ridiculous, and listened as the other three murmured heads-ups to each other across the way. 

Soon, Sam spoke again. "We're ready here, Y/N."

"On my way." You shifted direction immediately and started heading towards Rafe's courtyard, running the few blocks quickly and slowing to a jog once you neared the fountain. You were panting slightly now, which was perfect; you doubted he'd like it if you were dripping in sweat, but a pant was good and sexy. 

You focused on a woman up ahead of you as you approached the benches, staring at her outfit and deliberately focusing your thoughts on the clothes--that was a nice hemline on the skirt, maybe she'd tailored it herself because that one side was a little less even than the other--

(you went to the bench nearest him, putting one leg up on it and doing some stretches, still panting, your ponytail bobbing) 

\--but hey, tailoring stuff for herself was a really cool thing, so what if she didn't always do it right--

(you stretched some more, arching your back and lifting your arms, then moved to sit down)

\--maybe YOU should get into tailoring, you did know how to sew after all, maybe you could have some really really nice-looking clothes--

"Want a water?" The smooth American voice rose up next to you, and you smiled internally. (Worked like a charm.) Your faraway thoughts had guaranteed an innocent, faraway expression. 

"Oh," you looked at him, still panting, with a smile, "thanks!" 

He snapped his fingers at one of the big men behind him, who held one up out of nowhere. You let Rafe see you glance at the man, impressed (you WERE impressed; where on earth had he been keeping it? Did he just carry one all the time?), and you smiled at the guard as you took the water, murmuring another small 'thank you' to him and knowing that that little speck of attention would be enough to make Rafe jealous. 

Rafe scooted closer, turning his body to face you more. 

"Hot day for a run," he commented. 

You laughed, still panting a little, and sipped some water. It tasted fancy, but refreshing. "Hey, some like it hot," you laughed, and shifted on the seat a bit to get more comfortable. "Do you always just have waters ready?" 

"For beautiful women I do," he said with a sly look, and you heard Sam scoff and mutter "listen to this guy" in your earpiece. "Shut UP, Sam," Nate whispered to his brother over the comms. "Shh!"

"YOU shh," Sam retorted in a whisper.

You laughed, at both Sam's comment and Rafe's blatant flirtation. The heat had brought a little light redness to your cheeks, but you knew Rafe would take it to be a blush. He looked at you, squinting a little bit in the sunlight. "What's your name?"

"Y/N."

He hummed a little noise. "Nice. Business or pleasure?" You quietly replied, "Pleasure", trying not to genuinely blush while you said it. As you smiled politely and sipped more water, he reached out his hand. "I'm Rafe Adler." 

You looked at him, feigning surprise, as you took it. His hand was cool and dry, and his skin and hair were flawless despite the Italian summer. This man knew how to take care of himself. 

"As in Adler Industries? I just read about you in Forbes!" Your smile was big, because it was true--you HAD just read an article about him. He grinned, and couldn't seem to help puffing up a little bit in pride. His head tilted back, he appraised you with disturbingly discerning eyes. You were glad you weren't seeing the boys again to risk blowing your cover, because you could tell that not much made it past this guy. 

"She reads Forbes," he muttered to himself, making no secret of his obvious efforts at checking you out, looking you up and down. You focused on sipping your water and keeping your smile. 

"To be in Forbes at your age is quite an achievement," you said, tipping the bottle towards him. "Congratulations! And yes," you said sheepishly, "Economics are a bit of a hobby." 

"Really?" He said, clearly interested. His eyebrows raised a little, and he crossed one leg so that he was almost completely sideways to talk to you now. You nodded before sipping more water, the panting just about gone. "Not exactly the most fun to talk to at a party," you laughed casually, crossing your own legs towards him but keeping your hands in your lap; one of his arms had gone up to be behind you on your bench. 

"On the contrary, I think you would be very fun to talk to," he said, and you could practically hear Sam mentally groaning at the line. No doubt he was making a face about it, and Nathan and Sully were making warning ones back--

"Actually," Rafe looked away for a second as a thought came to him, leaned back lazily on the bench like a well-fed cat. He turned back to you, eyes so eerily reminiscent of an animal on the prowl that you were almost visibly taken aback. "How would you like to go to one?" 

You had been lifting the water up, but put it back down, genuinely surprised. "Really?"

Rafe smirked, and nodded. "Yes, really." He sat up a little to get his face closer to you. "There's an auction I'm going to tomorrow night--fancy, black-tie. It's at this gorgeous estate up in the hills." He gestured vaguely into the distance (and in the wrong direction), but you let it slide. "You like economics, there are some pretty good people there to talk to--and I'm not too shabby in that department myself. Come on, it'll be fun," he said in a disarmingly charming voice, one that had clearly been used to get the underwear off many other ladies. 

He WAS attractive and charming, and you actually would like to go to the auction--it had been a while since you'd gotten to get all dolled up for something nice, and you did love the Italian countryside, and you really DID enjoy discussing economics--plus it would be a great way to further distance yourself from the Drakes if you were there for a while after they'd gone. 

"That would actually be great," you said enthusiastically, leaning forward to meet him. "Thank you, I'd love to!" 

"Wait, is she kidding?" you very very faintly heard Sam whisper to Nathan, wherever they were, "I can't tell if she's kidding--" but Nathan shushed him again. Luckily, Rafe was speaking too, so naturally confident that he spoke quietly and knew you would still hear him. 

"It's at the Pichenzi estate," he said with a purr. "Where are you staying? I'll pick you up." 

You nodded towards the hotel you'd just spent ten minutes sprinting behind. Rafe scoffed. "Really? Come on. A girl like you deserves better. Here, you can stay with me." And he handed you a keycard for the upscale hotel right behind you. Your genuine surprise helped your case again, as you looked at it and felt your mouth open a little automatically. Was he really THAT presumptuous? Your face stayed politely friendly, but your eyes went up towards his, unnerved.

Rafe laughed and reached for his sunglasses. "Relax. I'm headed out of town until tomorrow afternoon anyway, so you've got the place all to yourself. But then," he pulled the sunglasses out of his elegantly-pressed pant pocket "you and I can have a little fun." He stood up, and snapped his fingers at the men behind him. Before they walked away, he bent over and took your hand, giving it a kiss. "Like you said," he winked, "some like it hot." 

As he walked away, leaving you there with a thoroughly bemused smile on your face and a very real blush on your cheeks, you mentally refocused. It was logical to stay put for a while and finish your water, so that was exactly what you would do before heading back for your bag. Sully knew your cautious ways well enough by now to know that you wouldn't answer any questions out loud while on a job, so he did the speaking for you. 

"That was perfect, Y/N. We're all set and getting the hell out of here."

There was silence, and you thought that would be it for the conversation, but then another voice spoke up, bursting out rather loudly. 

"Are you really going with--?!" It was Sam who blurted it out, but you heard Nate speak over him quickly. 

"THANKS, Y/N, we've got it from here. Take care." And you sensed from the lack of a faint buzz that they'd taken the earpieces out--but not before you heard a muffled "Hey!" that sounded a lot like one brother having his earpiece forcibly taken out by another.

Holding in a giggle and a smile badly--to the woman sitting near you, it probably just seemed like excitement about your hot and rich date--you got up, recycled your water bottle with a delicate toss, and headed towards your original hotel. YOU were getting an upgrade. 

And it was a good thing you'd been cautious, too, because the woman nearby smoothly put a hand on her ear. "She recycles," she murmured in a mildly pleased voice. "Looks like she's a legitimate civilian, Rafe." 

On the other end, he said "Good. And she's a damn fucking hot one too."

Nadine chuckled. "I may not be single, but I agree. Enjoy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nadine's leaving shortly after this little stakeout to head back for Rafe and keep an eye on the cathedral, for anyone who's wondering! I think I'm having her date Chloe, but I'm not sure yet. :) Hope you like it!


	3. Chapter 3

The Drake brothers and Victor were packing up their hotel room quickly and making their escape. Sam peeked out the door and carefully placed your bag down next to it with a little pat, then closed it again and came back into the room. Nate handed him his duffel bag, and grabbed his own with Victor looking on. 

"We good?" Sam asked. Nate nodded. "Scotland here we come!" 

The three of them headed down the stairwell briskly, and as they went Sam not-so-deceptively-casually asked "Soooo you don't think she's really gonna do it, do you?" in his low Boston drawl. 

"Do what?" Nate asked, distracted by the stairs. He had a tendency to break stuff when he got too cocky about little things like gravity. 

"Go out with Rafe! I mean--" they rounded a corner, still in their white shirts and formal pants "he doesn't really seem like her type." 

Nate made a 'pfft' sound and laughed as they went. "And you are?" 

"No! I mean--maybe," Sam's voice went up higher as he got defensive. "I just think she could do better, okay?"

"Sam, you've known her for like an hour."

"So? I think" he held his arms open to gesture towards his own body, pleased to remind Nathan once again that HE was capable of walking down stairs without always looking. "she could do better." Nathan slowed down and shot him a glare before steadfastly focusing on the stairs again. "And thanks, by the way," Sam called down to him, voice laced with potent sarcasm "for warning me about her." "What, warning you that she's hot?" Nathan asked jokingly. "Yeah," Sam said, the 'duh' in his voice obvious. "Made a goddamn fool of myself. But she still," he walked a quick little circle around his younger brother on the stairs, just to taunt him, "could do better than Rafe." 

"Y/N has got a good head on her shoulders," Sully said behind them, chuckling and taking the stairs leisurely while multitasking with a cigar. "Don't worry, Sam, she knows better than to get involved with Rafe. Not to mention she already knows what a psychopath he is. She was just faking it."

"It did sound like she was gonna go with him though," Nate added quietly, and now it was Sam's turn to glare. Nate shrugged, pausing on a landing. "What? It did!" 

Sully laughed again as he caught up to them and started to step past the two brothers. "She's just going because she knows it will solidify her cover. RELAX, Sam" he patted him on the chest patronizingly as he walked by, and Sam frowned, miffed by the tone "Y/N knows what she's doing." 

Sam huffed, and Nate grinned boyishly before heading down second, and there was silence as they headed down to the end of the stairs--but not before the other two heard him mutter "Well I STILL think she could do better." behind them.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: RAPE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, warning: rape. If you'd rather not read it then please feel free to skip this chapter!
> 
> This portion of the story has gone on far longer than I anticipated. Funny, isn't it, how stories take on a life of their own? Almost feels like they're writing YOU. 
> 
> The dress (and my reader) are inspired by Candice Swanepoel, as seen here: https://www.skinnygossip.com/community/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn3.gossipcenter.com%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fimagecache%2Ffullsize_image%2Fimages%2Fc%2Fcandice-swanepoel-met-2012-%2520%285%29.jpg&hash=dc21c0645cfd5709cfce3de24840d4d4 )

You were lounging in the hotel room, sleek from bath oils and luxuriating in a soft white fluffy robe. You laid on the bed, stretching out your legs languidly and your arms up to the headboard, and sighed. THIS was divine. 

There was a knock at the door, and you opened it to see a waiter holding a spectacularly-shined tray. 

"For you, from a Mr. Adler," the waiter said proudly, lifting the tray's cover with flourish. You let out a huff of surprise in what you HOPED was a dainty little gasp; there were what looked like real truffles, and...were those quail eggs? Not to mention some delicious-looking canapes and a tiny decadent little chocolate-raspberry cake, and cherries and some kind of pastry with clotted cream. The waiter lifted the hand from behind his back to reveal a letter, as well. 

"This is from him," he said with a smile. "He requested that you give it to the women in the boutique downstairs." You reached to take the tray first, opening your mouth to say "Thank you", but he lifted it further and said "May I?" 

You stepped backwards into the hotel room. "Oh! Yes, I--thank you." 

He placed it elegantly on the marbled table before leaving with a little bow; you reached out to stop him, to give him a tip, but he seemed to understand what you were asking and shook his head. "Mr. Adler has taken care of everything," he said kindly before closing the door. You blinked. Yes, he most certainly had. 

You opened the letter tentatively; it was written by hand, in an elegant but cramped cursive, and seemed to be in some kind of shorthand. From what you gathered, though, it was the details of his request for your clothing for tomorrow night. The boutique women must know what it meant...

Wow, you thought to yourself as you carried the tray over to the bed and sat back down, leaving your veranda windows open to see the view. Upon thinking about it, you took a quick picture of the artfully arranged foods and the view, just for your own records. This really was fancy. 

Not many men would put so much thought and detail into this, you mused as you leaned back with a truffle. In fact, most men would find it embarrassing to even ADMIT that they knew anything about fashion or style or decadence or truffles. It was an unusual trait, and one that you found admirable. Like him or not, Rafe Adler didn't do things halfway. Your mind went into the gutter for a second--men like that certainly would be thorough and detailed in bed, as well, surely; after all, men's general behavior was usually a good indicator of how that would go. If they tended to be extremely gentle, or rough, they were usually the opposite when they actually got a woman underneath the sheets. THIS man was observant, and considerate--as well as cocky and confident--so it would probably be a pleasurable ride. But you didn't usually make it a habit to sleep with strange men; in fact, you didn't really make a habit of sleeping with anybody. You were too busy, and too...whatever you were, to date. And one-night stands just didn't seem safe, although your sisters had gotten you into them a couple times when they'd been on a mission to help you lose your virginity. For that, you could thank them. But they weren't here now, and no woman wanted to risk one-night stands without backup. 

Although this would probably be one hell of a one-night stand...

You shifted on the bed and began eating your meal--consuming all of it, slowly and deliciously, before lying back to take a nap. Since the bed was so comfy, however, you ended up sleeping the entire night away; and after some more fancy room service the next day for both meals, (you weren't eager to leave your room, what with it being so nice and all) you headed down to the boutique below. You were correct in predicting that they knew Rafe, and understood the shorthand; within a couple hours a beautiful, floor-length, dark blue evening gown had been delivered to your room and tailored to you. It was very formfitting, short-sleeved but sleek, and with detailing that showed a lot of skin on your back through scale-patterned lace. You felt like a beautiful navy-blue snake. Heels were delivered as well, comfortable but delicate. Impressed, and actually rather excited, you did your hair up in a nice high chignon and left your makeup simple. With a dress like this, heavy makeup would have been a crime. 

The afternoon flew by, and soon a doorman knocked on your door. "Mr. Adler has asked you to meet him downstairs. He has a car ready and waiting for you," the man smiled, and actually took your hand to lead you downstairs. For the first time in your life, you genuinely felt like a queen, and couldn't help the big beam that was radiating from your face.

Judging by Rafe's pleased expression, he liked how you looked--and judging by the cocky smirk that he threw towards everyone else as he ushered you into the car with a kiss on the cheek, this whole fancy-hotel-and-doorman routine had worked on many a girl. You weren't naive, or stupid, and you didn't even know if you wanted to sleep with him, but you couldn't deny that this night was going to be fun. 

And oh how right you were; the estate was beautiful, the auction was intriguing, and you were a smash hit with all of the other guests. Rafe made sure to introduce you to lots of different people--all of whom were vague about their jobs, and you pretended to accept that at face value. Your one concern--that you might be recognized by someone here tonight--was irrelevant, as it turned out. Almost everyone was a non-native English speaker, whereas all of your clients WERE, so there ended up being no real danger. 

By the end of the night, after hours of snacking on canapes and antipasti and champagne, you were feeling a steady buzz. Lots of the people had been fun, and RAFE had been fun. He was smart, too, and hadn't been lying about his knowledge of economics. The two of you had a great time. You did notice that his face hardened when a rumored Avery artifact was revealed to be of a different origin, and he stepped away for a few minutes when that happened, but he was back very fast and seemed to return to good spirits. 

When you headed back towards the hotel, you pretended not to notice that the partition to the limo driver was now all the way up (clearly he and Rafe had an understanding about that), and you kept the conversation light as you spoke animatedly about specific auction pieces and people, trying to ignore the subtle slides he was making to get closer and closer to you. You tended to get like this when being seduced, or even just hit on; unsure if you actually wanted it but sometimes capable of being convinced. Sometimes. You weren't like your sisters; romance-novel-sex and passionate, intense relationships were not something that you'd ever gone for. Something about them hit too close to home, for whatever reason, and you always shied away. 

Tonight, you were feeling a little open to it, surprisingly; you knew that Rafe was dangerous, but this HAD been nice, and you felt a little bad for stealing from him earlier. You didn't usually like to be cutthroat. A combination of his champagne and his charm had taken some of your edges off even further--but the reminder of his reputation, of the jolt when you'd heard Nate say his name, was not a good one. 

Now, you continued talking about one of the men you'd met, Mr. Sarpacci, an Italian diplomat "of sorts"--but Rafe had made it all the way over to you now and you could no longer avoid him. "I think-" He slid one hand behind and around you to pull you closer, away from the refuge you'd had near your own window, and put the other on your right shoulder, sliding it up softly to land against your neck and guide your face towards him. "that that's enough of you talking about other men for tonight." 

You looked at him, unsure, walking the line, and expected him to just forcefully kiss you either way. Instead, his thumb came up to your jawline, gently rubbing back and forth, the pads of his thumbs both rough and strangely soft. His grip was strange; it alternated between firm and feather-light, like he couldn't make up his mind either. Entranced, you didn't do anything but stare, your (E/C) eyes standing out in the moonlight. 

He looked at you for a while like that, and you saw something shift in his face; it softened, sort of, and his eyes suddenly looked like a sad little boy's. He seemed to be falling in and out of thought, like he was only seeing you sometimes--but then his gaze grew intent, and his thumb stood still. "You," he said decidedly, "are very, very beautiful." And he moved your head closer to his with his hands and kissed you, very very softly; his eyes closed a little, but stayed open enough to gauge your reaction. You were still feeling frozen in place, still unsure what to do or what you WANTED to do. Your lips tingled, and you felt your stomach contract and tighten. You looked back at him, feeling a bit like a baby deer. 

"You need some convincing, huh?" he said quietly, but it wasn't menacing; it was actually more...sympathetic. Your eyes got a little questioning, but then he was kissing you again, and you felt his tongue softly sweep across your lips before slipping into your mouth. You let him kiss you, reciprocating in a way since your mouth moved naturally in response to his; you clenched your fingers together in your lap. 

Soon his hands began to move, holding you by the neck with both now and steering you so that your movements more accurately matched his. You could feel that he wasn't fondling you yet, or trying to get underneath your dress's shimmery, sleek snake-skirt, and you weren't surprised. It had already become apparent from the way that he did things that Rafe had long ago learned the value of savoring things. You had no doubt that he would spend an hour kissing you before going further--and he did, softly, for the entirety of the trip. His hands eventually made their way to your waist, and started holding you a little tighter, but otherwise the restraint on this man was incredible. His kisses were...nice, and so were his hands. 

When you got to the hotel, it all seemed like a blur; he led you out of the car, holding you up, or something, and you remembered the lights on the stairs...then you were back in the room. He backed you up against the wall quickly, but somehow delicately, and started kissing your neck just as insanely softly as he had been doing before with your lips. It felt kind of far away, though...

"I" he spoke between kisses, in the softest voice you'd heard from him yet "love" without any smirk "your skin". He turned you around gently, and you pivoted on your heels in a slow little pirouette, surprised at your ability to do it without any slip-ups. That champagne had hit you hard...

You felt your dress unzip a little, and felt him kissing his way down it, straight down your spine to its base. Then he lowered it, taking it off inch by inch, and kissing every new piece of your body as it became open to him. Sometimes you felt his tongue in the kisses; you stared at the wall in front of him, your eyes struggling to stay open, your lips parted just a little--

He kissed you all the way down to your ankles, to your heels, then all the way back up. You felt your underwear leaving, and heard the quiet rustle of clothing, then felt his bare, well-muscled chest against your back and his lips on your neck again. He kissed you and licked you anywhere and everywhere, and you felt the orgasms come but didn't really...feel them. Somehow you managed to stand through it, even when he took you up against the wall. You could feel that he was big, and feel that it was nice, and your lips stayed parted for him to kiss thoroughly--

You were right, you dimly thought. He was detailed. And he was murmuring all these things, these sweet little nothings...none of them were crude, or unkind. He made you sound like a Botticelli painting.

After being up against the wall for a little while, he lifted you easily, his hands on your ass, still inside you, and you quickly felt the soft pillows and mattress underneath you as you landed, still intertwined, on the bed. Then he went about fucking you, slowly and steadily, precisely, feeling for your spot and feathering it and pounding it in alternate rhythms. You did come then, a few more times actually, in quiet little gasps and whispers--and when he did, too, you felt both of your entire bodies shudder. He kissed your body all over again, whispered more sweet nothings, and then tugged you and pulled you into a spooning position to go to sleep face to face. You let it happen, fuzzy but satiated, and watched his face while he slept. Everything felt so...weird...

The next morning, you woke when he did, feeling his body swell and move around you since you were still in his arms. Someone was knocking on the door; he opened his eyes, saw you, and gave you one sweet kiss. He ran his hands over your body as he rose, smiling, and you thought you felt your lips twitch in an effort to smile but weren't quite sure. 

Your back to the door, your (H/C) hair spread out across your pillow--he must have lowered it down to let it fall at some point during the night, because you vaguely remembered feeling his hands holding it lovingly--you felt no urge to roll over and see who it was. Your body felt weird, like it was made of glass... It was a man, you could tell that much, but he had a strange accent; then you could hear a woman, in a tinny voice that suggested she was on the phone. Rafe was silent for a minute, and the door closed, but then he said your name. 

"Y.N."

You turned your head at that, and--since you could feel now that your body felt completely fine--sat up lithely, the sheets wrapped around you. You looked at him, your expression confused. 

"I've got to go," he stepped closer and sat on the bed, leaning in for a kiss. You let him take it. "But I had fun with you. A lot," he smiled, genuinely, and his eyes looked like the same little-boy eyes, but warm and content "of fun. You take care, okay?" He nodded towards the bedside table. "Go back to sleep. I'll have them leave my number written for you there. you're ever in Scotland, you call me, hm?" You looked at him, and opened your mouth to speak--then your arm shifted against the sheet,s and you felt something...there-

You looked down at your upper right arm, near where he'd touched your shoulder last night in the car, and saw a flesh-colored patch. Some might mistake it for a Nicotine patch, but you immediately knew what it was. 

He'd drugged you, he--

The realization made your eyes widen and fill with hurt, but he was already up and at the door. He kept his smile on his face as he waved goodbye, but you saw shame in his eyes. He knew you knew, and he had the decency to feel bad--but all you could do was stare at him, horrified, your eyes welling up, as he left.

You stayed like that for what was probably an hour. Someone came in and did indeed write his number on the pad, and said something cheery to you, but you didn't respond. Your face stayed horrified, and your tears didn't fall--eventually, all you did was tremble. 

Still trembling a while later, you sniffed bleakly and straightened up. Okay, you thought to yourself, eyes going to your backpack hidden across the room, the strap just a little visible under the dresser. Okay. 

You shifted, your body feeling bizarrely delicate again know that your mind knew what had happened, and left the bed carefully. You showered, you ordered room service, you made yourself take the nice dress and shoes where they lay--they were nice, they were REALLY nice, you told yourself firmly, and you did love them and could most certainly use them again--

There was a picture from last night, on the bedstand next to the phone number. It was of you and Rafe, posing together at the auction last night. You were smiling a huge smile, feeling comfortable and happy, and he looked really happy too. You were actually both mid-laugh, because his friend had said something funny while taking the picture. It was a wonderful photograph, and you didn't know why, but you kept it, tucking it into your journal just like you did everything from your journeys. He was still a memory, after all, and you didn't want to forget everything. You'd had fun last night...and you DID like the dress...

Your head spun a little, and you sat back down on the bed. He'd made you come last night, several times...you HAD had fun...and sex was good for you, physically and hormonally...it had just been like going to the gym....nothing to it--

Okay. Fine. You swallowed hard and put your hair back in a ponytail. Time to go. Hesitant, you picked up your phone to add his number. He was an important person, and could someday be a client...you swallowed again and added him into your contacts. 

Now then. You shook yourself brusquely, and dialed Sully's number. 

"Hi, Sully," you said, your voice sounding far more like you were about to cry than you'd expected. "I was wondering if I could stop by Scotland and drop off that earpiece for you! Yeah," you said at his response, "I'm going that way anyway. I'm fine," you said to his next response. "Just text me where you are and I'll see you tomorrow!"

Then you hung up, and proceeded to stare at the wall, tremulously holding your chin in your hands, for about six more hours.


	5. Chapter 5

"Hello?" Sully asked, answering the phone. He and Sam were having a smoke out on the Scottish landscape, with Nathan sitting on a rock nearby having a snack. They were waiting a couple days to explore, since there was such intense fog around the cathedral that they wouldn't be able to see a thing until the weather decided to break. But then again, neither could Rafe. 

"Y/N! You made it out all right?" Sam perked up when he heard your name, removing his cigarette from his mouth, then saw Nate looking up at him knowingly from below and put it back into his mouth. He turned away with a defensive look, pretending that it had been a casual movement and that he was really interested in the rocks or whatever, but he could feel his cheeks turning a little red and grumbled internally, sucking on his cigarette vindictively with a general glare.

"Yeah, sure, if it's not too much trouble," Sully responded, but his brow was furrowed. "You okay?" Both boys perked up at that; Sully looked worried. "Sure...see you then." He hung up. "Y/N is stopping by to return the earpiece. Says it's on her way." 

"Sounds good," Nate said tentatively, but his eyes were fixed on Sully from where he was hunched over on the rock. Sam's were, too, and he dropped his cigarette quietly to scuff it under his feet, almost missing it completely since he wasn't looking. 

Sully was staring at the ground, looking for once like he actually was an old, tired man, his cigar limp in his hand. Nate fidgeted; he hated it when Sully looked like that. Rare as it was, it was a reminder of someday losing his best friend. He glanced up at Sam, who glanced back. 

"Victor--" Sam's voice was quiet, all sass gone, and he leaned forward to get a closer read on him, the question in both his and his brother's eyes. 

"Something happened," Sully said after a moment, sounding sadder than Nathan had ever heard him. "Goddamnit." His swear was low and vicious. 

"Well, did she--did she say that?" Nathan asked, voice frail, standing up. Sam looked at him uneasily, then back at Victor, who was already shaking his head, eyes distant and filling with pain. 

"No, but...something did. Goddamnit." He abruptly sank onto the rock and put his head into his hands, letting the cigar drop. Sam took pause at that; Victor never let cigars drop. Nate sat down next to him immediately and put a hand on his back. "Sully, you don't actually KNOW that--" "He hurt her and it's my fault, Nate," Sully continued after a minute, a little louder. "You boys wanna know what it looks like to be a real, real asshole, here you go." He gestured at himself bleakly. Nate and Sam didn't know what to say. "And you heard her. "Anything for my friends". How much do you wanna bet," he slowly said with a grim smile starting, hunching over where he sat, "that she already knew perfectly well that there was a risk of Rafe doing that, and did it anyway just to help me. GodDAMNit." He noticed his cigar on the ground and dusted it off, shoving it back into his mouth and standing up with a little groan. Nate rose immediately, too, still concerned. "She did say she knew him by reputation," he said quietly. He glanced over at Sam, only to see that Sam's face was like iron. 

"Victor, if he hurt her, we're gonna make him pay," he said roughly, his voice low and husky and his accent thick. Victor met his eyes and nodded slowly. "You're damn fucking right we are. She'll never admit it," he grumbled, preparing to move again. "That girl's too damn charitable for this world." 

"All the same," Nate said sadly. "We'll make him pay." He glanced over at Sam again--but Sam was looking off into the distance, where the cathedral was veiled in fog, and imagining the sensation of feeling his fist break Rafe's fancy cheekbones.


	6. Chapter 6

The next day, you had just arrived into the tiny Scottish town from Sully's texts and were heading out to find them in the hills. Sully had tried to insist on waiting for you at the hotel, but you knew the boys were trying to get going as soon as possible, and you'd be lying if you said that you didn't want the fresh air to comfort and distract you. Ironically, the fog was going to help remove the clouds from your mind. And you were partial to Scotland; it was beautiful at this time of year, although it was a little chilly. 

You were wearing fully lined climbing pants this time, as well as boots, and had just put on your fleece and gloves when a thought struck you, and you turned around to head into a nearby little shop with a knowing smile. There was no way Sully and Nathan had had the good sense to buy gloves for themselves, and you'd bet that their fingers were going to be cold. 

Three pairs of gloves later--with grips on the fingers, to hopefully help with climbing--you headed out on the hike. It didn't take long to find them; after about fifteen minutes, you could already hear Sully's voice. 

"Sully?" you called out gingerly, stepping further into the fog. "Oh! Over here, Y/N," he called. You stepped around a thickly-obscured copse of trees to see the three of them, two sitting on a rock and Sully standing with his trademark cigar. The other two moved to stand, but you instantly waved at them. "Oh no, please, no need," you laughed casually. Before any of them could say anything, you reached into your pockets. "I brought--" you pulled out the gloves, and sensed Nate and Sam perking up even more "gloves for the three of you; figured you wouldn't have them! They've got grips on them to help," you pointed out, smiling at each guy as you passed them around. Your smile was friendly and genuinely happy, since you really did like these guys; even if you didn't know Sam well, his comments on the comms had made you laugh, and you already knew Nate and Sully pretty well. But although they were smiling, they all looked weird. Sad. 

"You could've been a Shakespearean actor with projection like that, Sully," you said, still smiling as you handed him his gloves. "Oh, and--" you reached back into your pocket. "I didn't have a container for it, so--" the earpiece was delicately wrapped in a cute little baggie, tied neatly with a bow. It might have been silly, but you were a sucker for presentation--and it had helped entertain you for a couple minutes on the plane, at the very least. 

He chuckled, but it was hollow. "Guess I missed out on my calling." He took the earpiece and put it in his pocket. "You all right? You sounded rattled on the phone." He put his cigar in his mouth casually, but the squint of his eyes said something different--and you could somehow sense that the other two were staring at you just as intensely. 

"Oh," you waved it off with a sad little laugh. "Rafe just freaked me out a little."

"You're not the type to rattle, Y/N," Sully said, tilting his head. "You're the most unflappable person I know--and that's saying something." You looked at him, unsure how to respond. The breeze shifted and blew your hair a little. "Y/N, what happened." He sounded older than you'd ever heard him, and you saw the tremendous guilt in his eyes. 

Sighing, you hugged him. "Oh, Sully, nothing as bad as you're thinking," you said, pulling back and touching his face comfortingly. "I promise. You've got nothing to feel bad about. Really." 

It was sort of a lie, of course; but it was true that it wasn't THAT bad. You'd been drugged, and buzzed, and it wasn't like Rafe had been violent or anything. He'd actually been very soft and sweet, at least in the literal sense--and from the things you'd heard about him, you knew that it could have gone a very different way. You could've ended up bruised and bloodied and painfully raped; instead, you'd been wooed and kissed and caressed and had orgasms. In your mind, that was a big step up, as disturbing as it all still seemed. 

Sully still didn't look convinced, and Sam and Nate stood up next to you, Sam being the closest. "He hurt you?" he asked, and despite the unpleasant events, something in the protective way he spoke made you feel...well, kind of warm and fuzzy. That was only exacerbated when Nate spoke up. "We'll kick his ass for you, Y/N. Really, we will." 

"Aw, thanks," you said quietly, your voice sounding a little wet. Alarmed to hear it--you hadn't even felt the potential tears and emotion really coming--you gave a bracing little laugh and pushed your hair out of your face, looking away for a second before looking back to them. Your eyes moved over the cathedral, visible for a brief second, and a thought came to mind abruptly. "Would you guys like some help here?" you asked. "Aside from gloves," you added jokingly. "It's just that I'm actually free right now, I was headed back to the States but not really to do anything--"

"Yeah," Sam responded quickly, and you saw the other two look at him oddly. He coughed awkwardly. "I mean, uh...we could use all the help we can get. Right, guys?" he looked at the other two pointedly, his gaze sharp and deep. You didn't really know what he was looking shifty about, but you did know that you needed any distractions possible--and these three adventurous bozos seemed just perfect. 

Nate and Sully glanced at each other before Nate said "Uh, yeah. of course. Every party's better with Y/N around," and he grinned at you, smoothly recovering. You gave a little laugh appreciatively, and Sully said "Damn straight. The fog actually seems to be clearing up today, so let's get started and these two clowns can show you around." 

Sam cut his eyes at Victor, who laughed it off and started walking. Nate stepped towards the clearest part of the cliff, and gestured to you to join him. "Y/N, come here." Seeing that he was going to start explaining the location, you stepped forward, brushing past Sam by politely touching his arm and saying "Excuse me," in a cheerful little chirp. Sam watched you the entire time, flirtatiously saying "Anytime" as you did so, and watched you even more appreciatively once you were up ahead of him. He took a drag on his cigarette thoughtfully, and used the smoke to hide a secret smile. Yes, he and the others were still worried about you (which he knew was no doubt the reason that Sully had agreed to keep you close by), and he would DEFINITELY be smashing Rafe's face in with a pistol the first chance he got--but for now, the little kid inside him couldn't help doing a dance. He was here, in Scotland, with Nathan, on the great adventure for Avery's treasure, and his dream girl (as of a couple days ago) was going to be with him the entire time. If that wasn't a damn good turnaround from a Panamanian prison, he didn't know what was.


	7. Chapter 7

Two hours later, the fog had completely cleared. Sully was keeping the floatplane ready just offshore, the rugged Scottish cliffs becoming increasingly menacing in the gathering snow. For now, the snowflakes were light and pretty, dotting your face and hair gently as you walked. Sam was behind you, staring, and could barely withstand the overwhelming urge to touch your snowy (H/C) hair and feel the flakes melt under his fingers. 

His fingers twitched reflexively at the thought, and he was reminded of the gloves that he was currently wearing from you. 

"Hey thanks for the gloves Y/N," he called, hoping his voice sounded casual. He could hear his own accent coming through; you were from New England too, but had no particularly distinguishing accent, and he really really hoped that you'd find his charming and sexy. If he was being optimistic, which he was. Maybe he could talk to you later, try to suss out where you were from...and if you liked Boston guys. "Pretty sure my fingers'd be falling off by now without 'em!" 

"Yeah, well, I guess that's why we have ten of 'em," Nathan joked a little farther up ahead. 

Sam chuckled. "Heh, guess you're right." You laughed too, and glanced back at him with a smile before you all started rounding a cliff's bend. 

Sam whistled low as the three of you approached a cliff's edge. "Long drop."

"Yeah, we'll have to find another way down," Nate said. You put your hands on your waist and looked around, your face thoughtful as you appraised the scene. You'd been right to come; this WAS a good distraction. And you really, really liked the Drake brothers. Plus Sam was handsome, and you enjoyed hearing his voice. He and Nate were both talkers, and had been alternating between discussing Avery and telling you funny stories. Their banter made this cold, remote place feel like an honest-to-goodness party. And it had been a while since you'd worked with such chatty guys; it was nice. The chatter was a comfort in more ways than one.

To the right, you saw a small mudslide that served as a gap between this cliff and another little one. You could already see the handholds beckoning.

"Hey guys, how about a mudslide?" You asked. They looked over at you curiously and you pointed. 

"HaHA! Nice one, Y/N!" Nate said, already jumping for it. 

"Real brains of the operation right here," Sam said, touching your shoulder affectionately as he stepped forward with a smirk, his Boston drawl husky. You grinned, and shrugged bashfully, feeling a little pleased with yourself. "I have my moments," you said sweetly, and he turned back to look at you with a wink. "Hell of a moment." Then he beckoned. "Ladies first?" 

You smiled. "Sure!", glad that you were dressed appropriately, and leapt off the cliff, sliding through the mud easily and bouncing up to catch the rocks with a cute little hop. 

"Damn Y/N," Nate said good-naturedly, "you're making us look bad." 

You laughed as he helped pull you up, and Sam not-so-coincidentally jumped as soon as he saw his brother touching you. You kept your chuckle internal; men's jealousy was so predictable, and so easily started. Nathan was with Elena, and had been for years, but that didn't change Sam's reaction. It was funny how men could still act little boys. Some might find it irritating; you found it ridiculously cute. 

"Eh, well, I do rock climbing whenever I can," you said easily as Sam joined you. "As you guys know, it often surprisingly comes up." 

"Yeah, and in your business I'm sure you do a little bit of everything," Nate said. You laughed as the three of you started moving again, Sam shaking off his jacket a little bit behind you. "I sure do."

"How'd you get started, anyway?" Sam asked curiously after you'd rappelled down the cliff to land on new ground. You opened your mouth to respond, but Nate held up a hand. "Whoa whoa whoa," he said quietly, pointing to nearby crates. They bore the insignia of Nadine Ross's mercenary army, although you only knew that that was some force called Shoreline. "Shoreline's all the way over here? What the hell--"

Gunshots punched the air over your head, and Sam pulled you into a duck. 

"Y/N, get down!" 

You didn't have a gun, since they'd been short, so you stayed down huddled behind the crates while your friends fired back. This was making a lot of noise...

While Sam was distracted, another Shoreline soldier came up on your left. Rock climbing wasn't the only thing that you practiced often, and you dispatched him easily with two arm blocks and a right hook. 

"NICE hook!" Sam said, impressed, but another soldier appeared and you were too busy doing a spinning high kick to hear him clearly. Those men dropped, and the other shot, you turned back around, a little exhilarated from the combat. 

"Sorry, what?" You said, a little breathy, but smiling. 

Sam's mouth was hanging open. "I....nice," he gestured to the bodies, looking embarrassed at fumbling his sentence. 

Nate stood up while you picked up some of the men's guns. "Well, looks like they're looking AWAY from the cathedral now. Not so great." His voice was still optimistic though, being Nate, and the three of you began to press on. "You good?" Sam asked the two of you, with a searching look at his brother and then a touch on you as he passed. You nodded and said, "Yeah, thanks. You?" He seemed a little thrown by the concern about him, but smoothed his face back into a sardonic and cocky facade. "Yeah, takes more than a couple bullets to scare me, Y/N. You know me better than that!" He held out his arms to gesture towards himself proudly, walking backwards to end up near Nate while you caught up.

"She's known you two days, Sam," Nate laughed, his gaze affectionate and amused. 

"Yeah, well, my natural courage and charisma is undeniable," he said matter-of-factly, arms still out in a self-explanatory shrug, grin cocky. It grew even cockier as he watched you giggle. "Right? She gets it." 

"Yeah, yeah, you're a badass," Nate said, still chuckling. He gave his brother a pat on the back as you neared the cliffs of the coast, the cathedral up to the left. "Let's see you prove it." 

"Oh, you're on, little brother." And he sent one more smirk your way as you stepped up to join them, and put a hand around you jokingly in a one-armed squeeze. He was still a little worried about you, but you seemed to be in a really good mood, and he knew that his distractions were helping. Plus, you found him funny--and Sam loved being the funny one. 

"Y/N is on my team, right, Y/N?" He asked, making it sound rhetorical. 

He squeezed you tighter and you laughed. "Yeah, yeah, okay," you said grudgingly, but you were laughing. 

Nate gasped. "What? You've known me longer!" 

You put your hands up in surrender, still being squeezed by Sam's arm and still laughing. "Okay, fine, maybe I'll just be neutral. Call me Switzerland." 

"Nope," Sam said, his competitiveness coming out, and Nate's jokingly rose to meet him "we're doing this. Right, little brother?" 

"Damn straight." Nate threw a fake glower his way. 

"All right then, let's go," Sam said, grinning mischievously and pointing to the cathedral. "We've got bad guys to kill and a treasure to find."


	8. Chapter 8

The Scottish sky was flecked with bits of gray and white, looking like a giant seagull's wing overhead. There were clouds coming from the right, looking fat with snow, and you zipped up your fleece a little further as you walked. The three of you were investigating the monks' dormitories, as Nate called them, for a gravestone belonging to Henry Avery. 

After Nate showed you the symbols you were looking for in his journal, he closed it. "Okay. Skull and crossbones, swords, and the dates 1659 to 1699," you repeated cheerily, turning to step into the graveyard and start looking. 

"Let's go desecrate some graves," Sam joked, and you let out a little laugh as Nate said "Let's." 

While you were walking, carefully inspecting each grave that had the right traits and finding nothing, Nate moved on ahead and Sam stayed nearby. 

"So, Y/N," he said, eyes still on the graves he was investigating, "How did you and Nathan meet?" 

"Through Sully," you said, brushing a little ice off of some dates and once again being thankful you brought gloves. "He had a small job that he wanted to do quickly, and since he already knew and trusted both of us--and knew neither of us would be hard for the other to work with--he brought both of us in. It went well, and then at some point along the way I met Elena. We've done a couple small jobs like that." 

"I mean obviously YOU'RE an easy partner. But 'not hard to work with'? Nathan?" He let out a scoff, although he didn't really mean it. He knew his brother was likable, and easygoing, and definitely a good partner to have. But Sam still prickled with jealousy, illogical as it was, and rolled his shoulders under his denim jacket before shifting the fleece collar up a little. It wasn't fair that you knew Nate longer than you knew him. His brow darkened a little as he thought of all the adventures you'd had, adventures he could and would have liked to go on.

You knew Sam was only joking, busting his little brother's chops, so you laughed. It was already clear just from today how much he loved him. Adored him, actually, and you knew from Nate that the feeling was obviously mutual. 

It was masochism, and he knew it, but Sam still asked. "And where did these adventures take you?" 

You were dusting off another grave, but looked thoughtful. "Umm, let's see. Mexico...Thailand...Argentina...Greece--oh, and that first little one was in Bimini." 

Yep. Definitely masochism. Now he had a full head of locations to visualize all those adventures without him. 

"Elena was on some of them, too," you said, trying to distract him. You sensed that something was wrong, and hoped it wasn't you. "A couple other people, too, occasionally."

Sam rubbed the back of his head as he trotted off to another nearby gravestone. "Okay."

It didn't really sound bad, or grumpy--he'd consciously made the effort to make it sound casual and light--but you'd heard him say 'Okay' to Nathan a while ago and watched Nathan stand at attention. Sam's "okay" seemed to be like some people's "fine"; it meant that he was upset. Earlier, it had been something about Sully, whom Sam always referred to tightly as 'Sullivan', so that made sense. But why was he upset now...?

Remembering Sam's endearing little-boy behavior from earlier, you decided it was probably something to do with jealousy. Nobody liked to miss out on adventures, after all, and he probably felt left out. 

Trying not to smile in a patronizing way--you might think it was cute, but it was usually best to keep such observations to yourself at first--you said "Don't worry, Sam, you didn't miss much of anything. They weren't BIG jobs like this one is. Most only lasted a couple of days!"

Sam glanced at you, caught out, when he realized you'd seen right through his bluster and bravado. He let out a little chuckle, sounding distinctly sheepish, and after looking ahead to see his brother he looked back to you and held out his arms, gesturing to himself in surrender. "All right," he said, his Boston accent stronger again "You got me. It's just, I--" He sighed with a little growl and shrugged, voice getting a little quieter. "I've been out of the action for a long time, and not by choice, and I just would've kinda liked to've been having those adventures. You know, with Nathan, and-and with you." That last part came out vulnerable, and even quieter than the rest, his husky voice making it crumble. 

Sam was barely even looking at you at that point; he hadn't quite meant to say that part...or maybe he DID, really, or--

Oh fuck it. 

Deciding to brush it off before he started blushing, he started moving again, in a clear signal that he wanted to change the topic. "Ah, never mind. Let's go find this thing, huh?" 

You nodded, putting on your big normal smile, and watched it make him visibly relax and smile back--a normal, cocky, goofy one--before turning to run up ahead. Just then, you both heard Nathan call for him. 

"Sam, I think I found it!"


	9. Chapter 9

You both caught up to Nathan, who was standing in front of a tall gravestone that overlooked the frigid, rocky coastline. When you arrived, he gestured to Sam. You hung back; these two were the Avery experts, and you were just along for the ride. 

"The dates and swords are a match, but something's weird about the skull. It's like it doesn't belong to the stone," Nate said, touching the skull sculpture. 

"No what's WEIRD is this isn't Avery's sigil," Sam said, face serious and thoughtful. When he talked about Avery, he reminded you of a college professor. The Drake brothers really were quite smart, you mused to yourself as you watched. 

"Yeah, you're right, the skull should be facing--" Nate's eyes widened, and he looked at Sam as they both said "SIDEWAYS."

Nate quickly turned the skull, and all three of you stepped back as the ground began moving to reveal a sunken stairway. You whistled low, not even realizing you did it, and Sam glanced at you, impressed. 

"You ready for this?" Nate asked his brother excitedly, hopping down onto the staircase. "Oh, MORE than ready," Sam smirked, and the two of you joined Nathan. 

It only took the three of you about ten minutes to find and solve the light puzzle before emerging from the hidden crypt with a new destination: a cave, nestled between some crosses on some faraway cliffs near the cathedral. This was also, unfortunately, closer to Rafe, Sam had pointed out with a grumble.

You sighed next to him as you emerged back into the graveyard. "Well, let's not keep him waiting." 

Hearing you speak reminded Sam of the specific concerning encounter that you'd already had with Rafe, and he opened his mouth, tentative to ask about it but also needing to--

"Shit! Shoreline guys!" Nate hissed, and you were wrenched down onto the ground by Sam immediately, falling into some thick tan grass beside him. You could hear Nate rustling quietly nearby, under the far-off sound of the Shoreline soldiers talking as they approached, and Sam (whose arm was still wrapped tightly around you, his side pressed against yours, denim to fleece) whispered. "All right Nathan, ready to prove how badass you are?"

You'd hoped they might forget their little contest, but you briefly glimpsed Nathan smirking when the breeze parted the grass near his face for a second. "It's on."


	10. Chapter 10

"That was...very loud. Hopefully more of 'em didn't hear us," Sam said, surveying the now-peaceful grasslands that hid several Shoreliners' bodies. 

"You DID see my fancy kick, right?" Nathan asked his big brother with a grin. Sam rolled his eyes. "Ah ah ah, little brother," he smirked, patting him on the back and gently touching your arm as he walked past to lead the way forward. "You may've had the kick, but I do believe that MY take-down number is the highest."

"Y'know, Y/N didn't do too badly either," Nate laughed. "You got like seven by yourself."

"It may not be the ten or eleven that you each got," you said cheerfully in response, "but yeah, I'll take it." 

Sam stopped short walking ahead of you. "Whoops, sorry," you said quickly, bumping into him with a laugh. He laughed, too, but you noticed it cracked a little. Sam felt his cheeks start to heat. "Oh, no worries. I was just, ah--well--the door's down, y'see."

"Oh." You and Nate looked past him to see the large barricaded monastery door that you needed to get through. Glancing around for a way up, your gaze found a new focus. "Hey." You stepped over to an unassuming little box near some Shoreline supplies, opening it up. Sam hurried over. "Whoa, whoa, careful with that stuff Y/N. I hear it's got a nasty temper."

"What, dynamite?" You laughed, taking a stick and lighting it as the trio backed up. "Nonsense."

The solid BOOM and explosion that happened almost instantly made Sam wince, but you and Nathan were unfazed and already walking forward again. "You're pretty good with that stuff," Sam said, suddenly feeling sheepish for being patronizing and protective. Fortunately, you didn't tend to hold a grudge, and threw him a smile. "Thank you. I guess Nathan and I have both blown a lot of shit up over the years."

That made them both laugh as your group progressed--but none of you were laughing when, after forty-five minutes of puzzles and cliff traps, you found yourself being held at gunpoint by Shoreliners in a massive cave. 

"You boys," a South African voice said, the figure of a woman slowly becoming apparent as she stepped past her soldiers, "are very, very noisy." She stopped short when she saw you. 

"Holy SHIT," she whispered, eyes widening. You exchanged glances with Sam and Nate, clueless. 

"Rafe," the woman said, lifting a walkie talkie and speaking into it while she stared, and you stiffened at hearing the name--a reaction that Nate and Sam both shared, "You're not going to believe who's working with the Drakes."

"Who? I'm almost there." 

"Maybe I should let it be a surprise." Nadine arched an eyebrow with a grim smile, again aimed at you, but you just shrugged. "I don't know her," you said to Sam and Nathan plaintively. They shrugged back. "Well, Nadine Ross seems to know you," Nate said, "although you got me on how." 

That name DID ring a bell, even if the woman didn't; you'd heard of a Nadine who ran an army-for-hire. This must be her, you presumed. 

"So." Nadine cocked one hip, holding her gun. "How about you boys--and girl--tell me the meaning of this puzzle. I'm guessing it refers to Madagascar." She gestured to the giant map of Madagascar on the floor under your feet. 

Sam nodded. "Well, yeah, but--WHERE in Madagascar? You'll need that cross over there to figure it out."

He gestured towards the cross in the puzzle--a golden cross that was a trap, and that you three had almost fallen for. Nadine, falling for it, gestured to one of her soldiers. "Bring me the crucifix."

"It's not a crucifix," Nate said, trying to cover the fact that he and Sam--and you, once you caught on--were subtly stepping backwards to safer ground. "Technically, a crucifix is a representation of Jesus--"

"Y/N???" Rafe stepped into the room then, for once in his life looking genuinely shocked as he gaped at you.

Nadine had been gleefully smirking at seeing her business partner's shock, but suddenly her eyes widened in alarm. She turned to the soldier grabbing the cross. "Wait, don't touch it--"

The floor instantly began to collapse as the man pulled the cross away, and you and the Drake brothers leapt for higher ground. Nadine managed to make a leap for it as well, hollering "Shoot them!" to her men as she landed, while the soldier near the cross fell into the abyss below with a shriek.

The cacophony of gunfire and collapsing stonework made you aware of nothing but each footstep and the sound of Sam's shouted instructions--and when you reached fresh air up above, even more gunfire awaited you. 

"Hurry!" Sam yelled. "Nate, forget them, just get to the water!" Nathan stopped shooting at the enemies and caught up to the two of you as you ran parkour-style over the cliffwalks. You could distinctly hear Sullivan yelling over the walkie-talkie, his voice interrupted by staccato rat-a-tat-tats. "They're shooting at my plane, boys! Hurry or there'll be no plane left to fly!"

"Mudslide! This way!" Nate yelled, jumping for it and starting down the long slide that headed straight for the frigid water, snowflakes falling gently in an odd contrast to the chaos. 

"Ooooooooooh this is gonna suck--" Sam yelled just before hitting water. And, you realized just as you landed in the same icy sea, you really had to agree. 

Five minutes later, after a harrowing swim and a narrowly-achieved flight, a soaking-wet Nathan was excitedly telling Sullivan about the new finds. You watched from your own seat as Sam adorably kept trying to wrap Nathan in a blanket, even though Nathan kept moving like a hyper little kid and wasn't even noticing. 

"He was recruiting, Sully, Avery was recruiting! And he--" Sam finally wrapped the blanket solidly enough around his brother that Nate noticed for a second and held onto it. "He was sending all of the pirates who passed the test to this volcano's location in King's Bay, Madagascar."

"Well, that WAS a pirate haven..." you heard Sully saying before Sam sat back down with you and grabbed you both some more blankets. You shivered a little, and felt Sam sit a little closer. "Chilly?"

"Yes," you admitted with a laugh, still slightly out of breath. 

"Y'know," Sam suddenly sounded a little too deliberately-casual, so much so that you almost laughed at it "I hear Madagascar's a good place to warm up." 

You did laugh now. "Sam, I'd love to tag along."

Sam visibly brightened, feeling himself grin. He'd really, really been hoping you wouldn't say no. 

And, feeling you pressed up against his side, he really, really hoped this flight took a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for being patient; I know this update was a long time coming!


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